Platform

Roundtable Bangalore

Last year, the Bangalore Samaanata event resolved the need for a professional network which shared a commitment to the Code of Practice for Partnerships in Craft & Design. The Sangam Platform has been developed for artisans, designers, traders, businesses, government and NGOs seeking partnership in craft product development. It is located within the professional social network LinkedIn.

The Platform is designed to promoted partnerships that have long-term mutual benefit of all those involved. The shared values are designed to inspire confidence along the supply chain, reflecting the equal contribution of all, including the designer’s concept, the artisan’s capacity, and the user’s desire.

As part of a partnership with Sangam, platform members are invited to sell their work through the Craftisan e-commerce portal. For more information, read this.

The platform can be used to:

  • Seek specific skills needed to produce an item
  • Locate designers who are interested in developing new products
  • Raise issues of professional concern
  • Recommend other members for their skills and values

Go here if you are interested in joining the platform.

Platform members

India

Brillist
brillist.com
Makes action figures from Indian and world history

Best Hands India
www.besthandsindia.com
Contact: Dharuni Garikapaty
A platform to promote Indian handicrafts through participation of craftsmen (especially craftswomen), people committed to help the underprivileged, buyers, suppliers, crafts-lovers and other stakeholders

Collective craft
collectivecraft.com
A collaboration of designers, artisans, and architects in Odisha with the aim to promote excellence in crafts skills, support and sustain artisan livelihoods, and nurture and revive languishing and dying crafts traditions.

e’thaan
www.ethaan.in
Contact: Ritu Varuni
Specialises in bamboo, wood craft related skills as well like stone work and sanjhi paper cutwork.

Example Clothing
wearexample.com
Contact: Moutushi Sarkar
Fashion label that works with bandhani artisans in Kutch, as well as kantha embroiderers in Bengal

Indus Initiative
indusinitiative.com
Contact: Karan Patel
Design consultancy in Bangalore

Happy Hands Foundation
happyhands.in
Contact: Medhavi Gandhi
Is committed towards the revival of traditional/folk art and craft, empowering rural artisans and building potential in women and young people to lead community development activities and craft entrepreneurship.

Ishan Khosla Design
ishankhosla.com
Contact: Ishan Khosla
Indian graphic designer who works collaboratively with traditional artisans.

Kalavilasa
kalavilasa.com
Contact: Vivek Shrivastava
A rug design company based in Bangalore, functioning as a social enterprise.  The rugs are handmade by craftpersons, working only with natural fibres and using a variety of techniques such as hand-tufting and dhurrie-weaving. The master weavers who represent the second or third generation of a glorious rug-weaving tradition in the states of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in northern India.

Kalpvriksh
kalpvrikshhome.com
Contact: Vaishali Thapa
Textile designer working with traditional artisans

Karan Patel
cargocollective.com
Indian designer working with different materials to create a contrast, wood, ceramic, glass and stone

The Color Caravan
thecolorcaravan.com
Contact: Swati Seth
Presents traditional handicraft products in contemporary style and markets them to urban market globally. The venture works with independent craftspeople, SHGs and NGOs on grass-root level to co-creates products with them and helps bridge gap between artisans and the market.

The Stitching Project
the-stitching-project.com
Contact: Fiona Wright
Textile organisation based in Pushkar that works with local artisans to produce a fashion range and host textile tours in the Rajasthan region.

Übora
ubora.in
Contact: Shweta Mhatre
Focused on the built environment & showcases collaborations between designers, artisans and makers.

Australasia

Andrew Widdis
tableware andrewwiddis.com
Victorian-based Australian ceramicist who makes elegant tableware

Artisans of Fashion
www.artisansoffashion.com
Contact: Caroline Poiner
A globally focused initiative supporting the next generation of artisans by promoting the extraordinary craftsmanship that goes into so many of today’s luxury brands. Their aim is to support vulnerable and landless communities in India whose lives depend on the traditional craft industry.

Bhalo
bhaloshop.com
Contact: Jessica Priemus and Shimul Minhas Uddin
Bhalo (Bengali for ‘good’) is an Australian ethical fashion label produced in rural Bangladesh that creates limited edition garments using natural hand woven textiles, printing and embroidery.

Bianca Mavrick Jewellery
biancamavrick.com
Brisbane-based contemporary jeweller

Christine Atkins
christineatkins.net.au
Australian visual artist who makes bespoke works, primarily in glass.

Crosshatched
crosshatched123.com.au
Contact: Sandra Bowkett
Victorian-based ceramics studio that works closely with Indian potters.

Dave Moorhead Design
davemoorheaddesign.com
Australian engineer-designer interested to work with Indian artisans

Maison Briz Vegas
maisonbrizvegas.tumblr.com
Contact: Carla van Lunn
Fashion outfit in Brisbane Australia that specialises in stylish use of hand-printed recycled fabrics.

Pipal Tree
www.pipaltree.com.au
Contact: Marty Hope
Melbourne retail outlet that specialises in product handmade in Asia

Provenance Artisan Textiles
provenance.co.nz
Contact: Amanda Stewart
Dedicated to providing an outlet for artisans from around the world; showcasing beautiful textiles handcrafted using traditional techniques.

Raasta Online
raastaonline.com
Contact: Sonica Kapur
A bridge between artisans and ethically minded companies to design , develop and market products as a way to support community development, social enterprise and cultural exchange

Sian Pascale
youngcitizensdesign.com
Lives and works between Melbourne and Mumbai, combining her international aesthetic and love of vernacular craft to create unique design experiences.

The Fabric Social
www.facebook.com/thefabricsocial
Contact: Sharna de Lacy
An Australian social enterprise that develops apps that help artisans from conflict zones connect with foreign markets.

Tradition Textiles
www.traditiontextilesandjewellery.com
Contact: Deborah Emmett
Australian designer working in India with traditional artisans.

Making Good
making-good.com.au
Contact: Mary Libro
Australian design company specialising in towelling and bed linen

Marisa Molin
marisamolin.com
Australian jeweller inspired by nature in Tasmania.

Vicki Mason
vickijewel.com
Melbourne-based contemporary jeweller who focuses on interpretations of flora and their cultural meaning.

Zaishu
zaishu.com
Contact: Matthew Butler
Works with communities to ornament art work including his famous wooden seat.

Latin America

María Boggiano
mariaboggiano.com.ar
Jeweller from Argentina

Europe

Sharing The Making
sharingthemaking.co.uk
Contact: Sarah Jane Lawton
Connects artists and craft-maker practices. Their products, which are the result of contribution and collaboration, support artisan trade.